The other day I was listening to a leadership podcast interviewing Pastor Steven Furick on his new book Unqualified. Listening to him talk, reminded me of so many times over the years where I have felt unqualified. Unqualified to be a nurse, to be a mom, a wife, a Christian. These feelings held me back from doing what God was calling me to do. I felt like I needed to have it all together, key word felt, before I started. It’s like before you have children you say to your spouse I want to wait until it’s just right, we need to have everything in order. Well, guess what, that rarely happens! And guess what, God is in the business of taking our imperfections, those things we feel unqualified to do, and giving us the strength and ability to do them in His name. Even though God has removed much of these thoughts and feelings, I still to this day think to myself, who am I to be leading a group, who am I to share the gospel, who am I to lead a ministry, who am I to become a deacon, who am I to write this blog?

What does qualified mean, anyway? It means to be officially recognized as being trained to perform a particular job; certified, competent or knowledgeable to do something; capable, entitled to a particular benefit or privilege by fulfilling a necessary condition, officially recognize or establish (someone) as a practitioner of a particular profession or activity. In other words qualified means you are EMPOWERED, AUTHORIZED, COMPETENT, PROFICIENT, SKILLED AND TESTED!!!!

We are not qualified on our own, but God himself qualifies us! Which means he empowers us, authorizes us, makes us competent and proficient, provides the skill needed and tests us in order to qualify us for His kingdom work.

2 Corinthians 3New Living Translation (NLT)

3 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 2 The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our[a] hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

I pray this blog post encourages you and inspires you to step out in faith with God in those areas of your life which you feel unqualified in. Like I noted above, it is easy, with all the pressures of culture, to fall into thinking you are not enough! And guess what, none of us are enough otherwise God would not have needed to send His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you and me. Separate from the love of God and being in relationship with Him, we are not enough, we are not qualified. Praise God, through the power of Jesus Christ, we are all invited to go from being unqualified to QUALIFIED!!

HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE “THE PERFECT STORM”? In the final scenes, a small fishing vessel is caught out in the ocean in the midst of colliding storms. They weather the storm and the massive waves for a while and then for a moment they see blue skies and hope, but suddenly dark clouds roll in and all hope is lost. I thought, “Wow! That is life.” You are caught in the powerful waves of life and just as you roll with one and come up for air, another comes to knock you down and still another. Then comes blue skies and hope is on the horizon, but it’s only a teaser. Darkness creeps in and you feel like you are NEVER getting out of this storm. Ever felt like this? I have. HOWEVER, there is HOPE! IF you are anchored on the ROCK OF SALVATION. During the “perfect storm” you NEED to TRUST that God will navigate you through the rough and unstable waters. “My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” Psalms‬ ‭62:5-8‬ ‭If I could give you one piece of advice during this season it’s this: TRUST GOD. Trust His plan. Don’t trust what you see, TRUST HIM. Things are coming to shake your faith TRUST GOD. TRUST HIS WORD. RELY ON HIM ONLY. The black skies are going to deceive you if you do not TRUST GOD! The just shall live by FAITH, not sight.

ARE YOU IN A TIME OF SPIRITUAL ” BARRENNESS “? Have you prayed and prayed but still haven’t birthed your miracle? Hannah’s barrenness is ascribed DIRECTLY to the activity of God. “But to Hannah her husband would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb.” I Samuel‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭God had withheld children from her in order to prepare her for the birth of her son Samuel, who would become a great prophet and the final judge of Israel. Hannah’s experience of BARRENNESS, FRUSTRATION, SHAME and WAITING was a TRIAL of her FAITH. But the desperate intercession it produced PREPARED the way for her MIRACLE to come forth and for God’s prophetic plan to be birthed. IN THIS SAME WAY, at times God may cause YOU to experience disappointment, SPIRITUAL BARRENNESS and brokenness so that you would cry out in desperation to Him for His holy intervention. Are you experiencing barrenness?? God has a GREATER PLAN! Your pain will be used for His glory when you take your unbearable situation and pain DIRECTLY to Him and WAIT upon Him, not taking matters into your own hands. Hannah went up to the temple “year after year”, it doesn’t record how long she continued to pour out her heart and pain to the Lord. DO NOT LOSE HEART dear friend! GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR PAIN TO PRODUCE GLORY!